Interchange
by LilyLivered
Summary: What if there was a Sunnydale... Where India (the slayer before Buffy) never died, where Buffy isn't the slayer, where friends and enemies alike are dead. And what if our Buffy woke up there?
1. Prologue

Interchange

Interchange

by Lily Livered [][1](lily_livered@hotmail.com)

Author's Note: This story is set around the third season of BtVS, but that isn't majorly important seeing as we're in an alternate universe. I'm thinking, tho, Post Angel-in-hell, Pre Willow/Xander hook-up. Faith is around but not in an evil way. Also, this might be a little spoiler-y for the newest Buffy hardcover, 'The Book of Fours' (which totally rocks, but that's beside the point), and it may help with the understanding if you've read it.

-----------------------------------------

Prologue:

_3._ The number of years that India had been The Slayer, the years that had led up to this moment. 

_2._ The number of lives that, at this moment, she desperately wanted to save. 

_1._ The number of seconds it took for her to decide

"Kit, I want you to take Mariposa and run. Just get the hell out of here." She said softly as they backed away from the mummy-like creature that was brandishing an ornate, evil-looking axe in their direction. "I'll keep it busy while you get away."

"India, as your Watcher and as your friend, I---" 

"Kit." India interrupted. "There will always be another Slayer. There'll never be another you." 

_That's where you're wrong India_ The robed figure seemed to just appear in the nearby shadows. It then launched itself at the mummy. "Go now!" It cried out as it tackled the axe-weilding ghoul. 

India and Kit, both saying silent thank-yous to whatever god had sent their saviour, ran past the spot where the mummy had been standing only moments before. 

But something Some indescribable, undeniable force made Kit stop as fled. He turned just in time to see the stranger fall, the axe embedded in his chest. Just in time to see the hood fall back and reveal the stranger's face.

Kit's eyes widened. He felt his mouth drop open to gasp, but couldn't stop it. He saw the mummy pull out the axe with a sickening squelch and couldn't make his feet start running. 

"Kit!" India had seen him stop and looked back. "We're supposed to be running now, remember?" 

_.5_ That was how many seconds it seemed to take for the mummy to raise its arm and send the axe soaring through the air towards the spot where India was standing.

_.1_ The number of seconds that it took for Kit to place himself between India and the axe.

_100,000,000,000,000,000 _The number of pieces India's heart broke into as she forced herself to run away. To run away from the mummy, away from Kit's broken body 

To run away from her life.

-----------------------------------------

Questions? Comments? Anything?? [][2]lily_livered@hotmail.com

Oh, and Mariposa is her dog. Just in case you cared. 

   [1]: mailto:(lily_livered@hotmail.com
   [2]: mailto:lily_livered@hotmail.com



	2. Chapter One

Interchange

Interchange

By Lily Livered [(lily_livered@hotmail.com][1])

Author's Note: Thanks to the peoples who reviewed the prologue, I hope you enjoy the rest of the story as much :-) Also, I'm not 100% sure on India's nationality, so I'm going to be vague. I think her mother is from somewhere in Asia, tho.

Chapter One:

__

Three Years Later

Buffy Summers groaned as her alarm clock woke her. _Beeep.... Walk like an Egyptian...._

"Arg... Evil song. Must stop the evil song..." She muttered to herself as she smacked her hand down onto the spot where the snooze button should be. She missed, and had to hit it a couple more times before the radio went quiet. 

Buffy opened her eyes and stared at her ceiling. Her brain was beginning to wake up, and with it came the realisation that staying out for most of the night had probably been a mistake. And it wasn't like her hanging out at the mansion, being all broody, was going to bring Angel back to her.

"Buffy, breakfast!" She heard her mother call out from downstairs. 

__

That's weird... Buffy frowned and sat up on her bed. _Mom doesn't usually make breakfast for me. She barely has time to inhale her coffee before she has to get to the gallery_. 

Deciding that Joyce was probably guilty about the fact that Buffy had been eating pop tarts for breakfast every day, and was making up for it, Buffy got up and opened her closet. She was training with Giles this morning, so she would probably wear something comfy for that, and then get changed afterwards. 

"Huh." Buffy frowned. Her clothes were... not her clothes. Sure, there were shirts and skirts and jackets, but none of them were hers. In fact, they looked like the outfits that she had given to goodwill shortly after their move to Sunnydale. And there were no 'comfy' clothes to be found.

"I guess..." Buffy rubbed her eyes and looked again, but the clothes were still there. "I have some sweats in my locker..." She reached out and grabbed an outfit. Besides, when your guilty mother had a hot breakfast waiting downstairs, who could worry about clothes?

Rubbing her stomach contentedly, Buffy burped. "Oops. 'Scuse me." She giggled. "So, I have training after school. I'll probably be home late." She told her mother as she got up and grabbed her books. 

"Alright sweetie, have a nice day." Joyce smiled as Buffy kissed her goodbye. "Oh, don't forget your pom-poms."

"My..? Riiiight. Sure Mom." Buffy nodded and smiled and then headed out the door. She hated it when her mother tried to be funny. 

Buffy knocked lightly on Willow's front door. She had learned the hard way that Mrs. Rosenberg liked to sleep in, and she didn't appreciate being woken up by the sound of a Slayer banging on her door.

Buffy waited for a little while, then knocked again a little louder. It was weird for Willow not to be practically waiting by the door by the time Buffy arrived. Finally, it opened.

"Um, hello?" Willow peeked through the opening. "C-can I help you?"

Confused, Buffy nodded. "You could hurry it up a little. We're gonna be late for school if we don't leave now."

Willow looked confused as well. "We? School? I t-think you have the wrong house." And then she shut the door in Buffy's face.

"Something weird is going on." Buffy frowned. "And it has Hellmouth written all over it."

Buffy climbed the steps at the front of Sunnydale high with a determined look on her face. She strode towards the library and practically growled at anyone who got in her way.

"Buffy!"

It took her a second to put a face to the voice that had interrupted her. She realised that it was because the owner of the voice had never said her name in that 'happy-to-see-you' tone before.

"Harmony?"

"Of course it's me, silly!" Harmony was grinning inanely as she air kissed a stunned Buffy. "Oooh, I just _love_ your outfit." She stepped back so that she could admire the skirt and blouse. "Where on _earth_ did you get it?"

"I can't remember. I just found it in my closet this morning." Buffy edged away from Harmony. "Look, Harmony, it's great to see you but I have to go... do stuff... so I'll see you later, alright?"

"Sure!" Harmony's smile never faded. "I'll save you your usual seat in History, kay?"

Buffy nodded and then hurried away. _Definitely something hellmouth-y_.

"Giles! Something weird is going on, I--"

Buffy had barged into the Library, only to find Giles all padded up and being beat on by a petite girl with dark hair and Asian features. 

"C-can I help you Miss Summers?" Giles asked. 

"Miss Summers?" Buffy laughed. "You've never called me that before. Anyway, I needed to talk to you about something hellmouth-y, but first I want to know who she is." She gestured to the girl who was now lurking behind Giles. "Did something happen to Faith?"

"Faith? I'm sorry, but I have no idea what your talking about." Giles frowned and fiddled with his glasses. "Is this part of Miss Whyte's drama assessment?"

"Nooo..." Buffy shook her head. "Are you okay, G-man? Or has the Hellmouth got to you as well?"

"Miss Summers, I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Um, me Slayer, you Watcher. That simple enough for you?" Buffy was getting a little frustrated. "I need to tell you about all this weird stuff--"

"That is not funny, Buffy." The girl finally spoke. "Just because I'm not one of your little clique doesn't mean you can come in here and mock me."

"What the..?" Buffy shook her head. "What kind of drugs are you _on_? I don't even know who you are!"

"I think you should leave now." Giles started to look Ripper-y. "If you want a book, I suggest you try the Sunnydale public library."

   [1]: mailto:(lily_livered@hotmail.com



	3. Chapter Two

Interchange

Interchange

[Lily][1]'s Note: Just so you know, I knew how this was going to go before Genesis' review :-)

Chapter Two:

_Oh dear._

"What's up with the Ripper 'tude, Giles?" Buffy's voice shook a little as she waited for Willow and Xander to jump out of Giles' office door and yell "Surprise!". 

"I don't know how you know these things but you should get out of here before I really kick your ass." The girl wore a mixed expression. "And you don't want me to do that."

_I don't know if she wants to kick my ass or cry. I don't think _**_she_**_ even knows._ Buffy almost laughed. But then she remembered what was going on. 

"You think you can take me? Why don't you give it a try?" Buffy smirked, picking up a fighting staff that Giles had left lying on the Library table. She twirled it around in her fingers and flipped in into her other hand, trying to psyc this new chick out with her neat Slayer-y skills.

At least, that was the plan. What actually happened was that the staff slipped through her fingers and landed on the floor with a loud bang.

"So I'm a little out of practise." Buffy shrugged. "But I'm still The Slayer."

"I don't recall you ever dying India, do you?" Giles asked lightly. 

"Not recently."

"Look I can, um" Buffy looked nervously around the library and grabbed the staff she had dropped. She smiled triumphantly. "I can snap this like a twig." 

"Please, do." Giles smirked. "And while you're at it, you could try lifting up the table with one hand."

_Oh I'll show him_ Buffy held the staff in both hands and bent it. Or, really, she **tried** to. The wood just wouldn't break. 

"I don't get it" She muttered as she worked on the staff. "I've bent **guns** before, this stupid stick should be **easy**."

India, who had gained some confidence now that she was sure that Buffy wasn't a threat to her, walked over and took the staff from Buffy. In one smooth motion, she snapped it in two.

"I think you'll find that's how it's done." She handed the two pieces back to Buffy.

"I say India That was from Africa, I had to get it imported." Giles protested to late as Buffy quietly placed the pieces onto the Library table and then walked through the double doors into the hall.

Buffy felt numb as she walked down the hallway, away from the Library. What was going on? What had happened to her in there?

_It was a fluke._ She frowned. _Or a trick staff to go with the trick that Giles and the guys are playing on me._

She decided to skip first period and go find some non-trick stuff to break. But then she ran into Principal Flutie.

"P-p-principal Flutie?" Buffy gasped. "What? How? When?"

"How did I know that you were planning on skipping class, Miss Summers?" Flutie smiled. "Well, it's just a sixth sense I have. Although, I never expected it from you, after your exemplary record at Hemery. They said that you never missed a class."

"You so caught me, sir." Buffy covered with a shaky grin. "I'll turn around right now and go to class."

"Good girl. If Mrs. Hill gives you any trouble, tell her you were in a meeting with me." He smiled kindly.

"Alright Principal Flutie. I guess I'll see you around." Buffy backed away and practically ran towards her first class.

As she entered the History classroom -- before the teacher, she noted -- Buffy saw Xander sitting down the back. 

_Phew. Now at least I can get Xand to tell me what's going on. He couldn't keep a secret for his own mother._ She walked towards the empty desk next to his, trying to ignore Harmony who was waving and calling out from the other side of the room.

"So, thanks for this morning." She said as she slid into her chair. "That was quite a joke you guys pulled, and I'm impressed -- the actor you hired to play Flutie is a dead ringer. Get it? **Dead** ringer." Buffy chuckled nervously at her own joke. 

"Did you want something?" Xander turned to her with a frown. "Because I think your little Ex-Cordette wants you." He pointed in Harmony's direction. 

"Xan-der." Buffy shook her head. "You can stop now, the joke's over. See? 'Ha, ha, ha, let's all laugh at how stupid Buffy is'."

"You're still here." Xander was still frowning. "How 'bout you fix that."

Buffy's mouth opened and shut, no sound coming out. 

"Now."

Buffy choked a little and got up from her desk. She headed over to where Harmony had saved her a seat. 

"Why were you talking to _that_ loser?" Harmony wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Is it, like, adopt a loser week or something?"

The teacher arrived then, so Buffy just shrugged at Harmony and tried to act like she cared about the Cold War. 

   [1]: mailto:lily_livered@hotmail.com



	4. Chapter Three

Interchange

Interchange

Chapter Three: 

He was dressed in a loud Hawaiian shirt, and hummed off key as he walked quickly down the dark LA streets. He was searching for one bum in particular out of the many that populated the alleys and park benches of the city, and had already accidentally scared the crap out of several members of the homeless population. 

_I don't know why I couldn't just get him last time Had his location scouted out and everything. What a waste of stakeout time!_ He pushed his hands further into his pockets to ward of the cold, and ventured into yet another dark alley. _Y'd think the powers were trying to get me killed._ He frowned. _Or just mugged._

He heard someone scrambling around in the piles of crap, and the frightened squeak of a rodent that had just realised that its time had come. The sounds were followed by the oh-so-pleasant view of a guy in full vamp face sucking the life out of a big hairy rat. 

"Please, I just ate."

The vamp dropped the rat suddenly and backed away, startled. "Who are you? What do you want with me."

"Just to talk. And maybe walk a little, the smell in here" Hawaiian shirt guy wrinkled his nose in distaste.

"Why should I?" The vamp didn't trust him. No surprise there.

"Because, I wanna talk to you about destiny, man. And I think you really oughta listen."

"Alright I'm listening." Angel nodded curtly and followed Whistler out into the street.

"First of all, it wasn't supposed to happen like this." Whistler sighed as they walked slowly past empty office buildings. "The powers, they had it all set up so that The Slayer would die, and the next one would be called. An' they sent me to prep you, so that you could get ready for the whole desitiny thing. But at the last minute Someone changed everything, changed the fates of a whole stack of people. Including yours."

"Your point being?" Angel frowned back. "How could The Slayer not dying affect me? And why shoud I care?"

"Trust me. If you knew how it was supposed to be, you'd care." Whistler shook his head. "But I'll get to the pointy part of all this. The powers have plans for you, and you need to be ready. Because weather you want it or not, she's gonna need you, and you better be there."

"Why?"

"You're a walking bucket of guilt, am I right? You've got this whole 'I have to suffer because I killed a lot of people' thing going on. But really, eating rats and living in alleyways aint the way to get redemption."

"And you're saying this is?"

"Nope. The powers are. I'm just the messenger, buddy."


End file.
